No Longer a Routine Mission
by muchlaters
Summary: It started out as a routine mission for Army SSG Brycen Dalton and his Special Forces team, but nothing's routine when Bane's involved.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first take at a TDKR fan fiction. Don't get me wrong I love the scene on the plane, but I feel there could have been more to it. This is my adaptation of the movie spinning a bit of a story from that scene. If you don't know it, its mine. Everything else I unfortunately don't own, or else I'd have a little more money in my bank account. I hope you enjoy it.**

It was to be an easy job, after 18 months in Afghanistan, I was looking forward to easy. Fly in, grab the guy and fly out. Simple enough and we were partnered with the CIA, what could be better? Aside from a completely Special Forces run job, that is. I had been in the Army for 6 years, four of which I was assigned to a Special Forces unit. The military had been my calling, perhaps not all my life, but after my mother put me in a military school, I knew nothing better.

The flight had taken a little longer than expected and the turbulence had caused the CIA agent with us, Agent Williams, to turn a nasty shade of green, but soon enough we had landed in an open field and the waiting for our package began. A Range Rover pulled up at a quick pace and stopped just as quickly. Men piled out of the vehicle. Agent Williams focused solely on the older gentleman, but my eyes were on the three hooded figures that were pulled from the backseat, hands zip tied behind their backs.

"Dr. Pavel, I'm CIA." Williams greeted the man, I could hear them speaking, but I adjusted my IOTV and made sure my M4 was on semi, and my finger graced the trigger well. I saw the shine of the briefcase he handed over to the man that had apprehended the good doctor.

"He wasn't alone." The man said to Williams, who looked surprised. For a CIA agent he wasn't very perceptive to the things going on around him.

"You don't get to bring friends." Williams spoke with a chuckle to Dr. Pavel. The older man had a look of concern on his face and I turned my attention back to the three faceless men. An armed man stood behind them, a rifle in their backs, moving them towards us.

"They are not my friends." The doctor spoke as one of the guys from my team, SGT Harper, took ahold of his shoulder and pulled him onto the plane. I waited for Williams' orders to shoot them there on the spot. We didn't have room for stragglers and there was no need to weigh the plane down with the additional bodies. These men were nobodies that were standing in the way of some well-deserved R&R for me and my men.

"Don't worry no charge for them." The man spoke to Williams again, I couldn't place his accent, but there was definitely one present. I knew for a fact the CIA paid highly for Dr. Pavel, renown in his line of work with nuclear physics and protons. Completely out of my league, but I understood enough to know that this man could make things go boom on a very large scale. Williams chuckled at the thought of paying money for the three men in front of us.

"And why would I want them?" He asked. I stepped up to his side as he spoke, never letting my weapon fall from the low ready.

"Me and my men could take care of them right here, sir. No need to pile on additional weight. Just cut the slack." I patted the loaded magazine and looked from him to the bearded man that turned Pavel over and back to the men.

"Not just yet Staff Sergeant." I appreciated my rank, and had earned it in quick time, but when Williams used it, it wasn't to respect my rank, but to take a jab at how he as a civilian was running this operation. He looked back to the man for an explanation as to why he should keep them.

"They were trying to grab your prize. They work for the mercenary, the masked man." I heard the explanation, but to me it meant nothing. They were all masked men right now. His description meant nothing to me or to this mission. But I watched how Williams' face lit up like a child on Christmas Day. To the CIA this must have meant something.

"Bane?" He looked for confirmation from the bearded man, who nodded in agreement. I watched their interaction, but wasn't able to pull a thing from it. To work for a man that was so powerful that the CIA was looking for him, these men looked to have gone down without a fight. There were no scuffs on any of them, I saw no blood, no torn clothing. They were in impeccable shape. "Get them on board, I'll call it in." Williams gave the orders and my men started towards the trio. I held my hand up to halt them. "Do we have a problem Brycen?" Williams' used my first name in a show of complete and total disrespect. I glared at him and then turned my attention to the man with a beard.

"Did the three of them just turn themselves in?" I asked him directly, Williams stared at me with his mouth agape. The local said nothing. "Did they put up a fight when you captured them?" I didn't like his stalling.

"Sergeant Dalton, this is not your mission. You are merely here for support of CIA operations. I would kindly appreciate you knowing your role and having your soldiers get these men on my plane." I set my jaw in response to his tone. The bearded man shot me a strange look and that uneasy feeling still sat heavy in the pit of my stomach.

"Agent Williams, with all due respect sir, for these men to be as highly sought after as you would like to believe, they are looking mighty good to have been apprehended." I spoke with more strength in my voice, and a glare in Williams's direction.

"Mr. Barsad's men are also well trained. Do not make me say it again Sergeant Dalton, or I will hold you in contempt. This is a CIA mission, have your soldiers get these men on my plane." This time he had pulled his 9mm off his belt and waved it at me. I doubted he would shoot me here in front of the lot, but it was not a battle worth fighting at this point. I nodded at the other three soldiers, Dimmick, Leslie and Allen, each grabbed one of the men and lead them onto the plane. "Thank you for your business Mr. Barsad." William's shook his hand and turned towards the plane. "I'm calling in the flight itinerary; if you don't want to get left I suggest getting on board." He spoke directly at me, with a poke to my chest. The little CIA punk failed to remember that I could easily kill him after grabbing those two fingers he so forcefully pushed into the chest plate of my IOTV. I exhaled loudly and eyed Mr. Barsad, who was keeping his eyes on me as well.

"You know something don't you?" I looked at the bearded man, gnawing a bit on the inside of my lip. As I stared at him, suddenly he gave me a half smile. "I don't find this funny sir."

"You look like him." The man spoke cryptically. I narrowed my eyes.

"Like who?" Barsad started to speak.

"Dalton!" Williams's voice was calling from the plane. I looked hard at the man in front of me, but all he did was nod back at the plane and smile.

"You will know soon enough, perhaps it will save you." More cryptic speech. I took a few steps towards the plane, and turned back again, but the bearded man was back in his vehicle, a cell phone to his ear.

* * *

"I'm getting to the bottom of this, and coming back with the information we've been after for years!" Williams had a gleam in his eye as I felt the plane take off. Harper and I were standing behind the men who were on their knees facing Williams. Williams had his 9 out again, waving it around as if the men in hoods could see him. Lucky for him they couldn't, as it was not intimidating in the least bit. "Brycen, do we have a problem?" I looked at him with a confused look when he glared at me.

"Excuse me, were you talking to me?" I pointed at my chest and the name tape on my IOTV. "Because I couldn't hear you."

"Sergeant Dalton, we will deal with this problem when we're back on the ground." The masked man in the center didn't make a sound, but from the rise and fall of his back I could tell he was holding a chuckle. I kicked his back out of frustration, which had him face down on the floor. Williams snarled at me and pointed his pistol to have me haul the punk back to his knees.

"We may have use for you." I heard the words barely a whisper when I pulled the man up. I eyed the hooded figure. Crazies, all of them, I thought to myself as I stood back up. Harper gave me a shake of his head and all I could do was shrug. No matter how easy the mission might seem, I would never be volunteering me or my squad for another CIA assistance mission.

"The flight plan I just filed with the agency, lists me, my men, Dr. Pavel here, but only one of you." Williams was back to waving that blasted pistol around, as he shouted at the men in hoods as if they couldn't hear. He pointed his pistol at the hatch and nodded to Harper.

"Is he serious?" Harper muttered to me. I shrugged.

"Sergeant Dalton is not running this mission Sergeant Harper, now open the door." Williams was shooting daggers in my direction, though I had said nothing. In the Army we had an NCO Support Channel for a reason, and my men weren't about to breach that for some knuckle head like Williams. "First one to talk gets to stay on my aircraft." Williams pointed to the first of the hooded men as he made eye contact with me. I sighed; this would have been easier had we shot them on the ground. But no, he had to make this all so much more dramatic than it had to be. Leave it to the CIA not to know how to do things properly. I shook my head and rolled my eyes before Williams leveled the pistol at my head.

"Come on B," Harper said from his point holding open the hatch. "Let the 'Agent' have his moment. He's not worth it Sergeant." I looked at the three younger guys behind Williams. All three of them under 22 years of age, babies to the Army and infants to Special Forces. This had been their first deployment and I was their first squad leader since joining SF. The all looked at me with wide eyes, waiting to see what I did next. The twitch in Williams hand told me there was no way he'd actually shoot me, but the theatrics of the moment got the reaction he wanted from everyone on board. I roughly grabbed the first man by his collar and waist band and pulled him over to the open hatch. The man never once fought me. I threw him down in the doorway, his head hanging out of the plane. Williams wedged himself and that pistol of his between me and the hooded man, a knee in the guy's chest. I shook my head and bit my lip. I felt Harper pat my back.

"Who paid you to grab Dr. Pavel?" Williams had to yell to be heard over the air moving within the plane. The man said nothing, did nothing, he just lay there all but halfway out of the aircraft. Williams suddenly pulled the trigger. I expected the man to go limp, it took me a moment to realize he had fired into the air. "He didn't fly so good." Williams motioned for me to pull him back into the plane.

"Thought we were weeding them out sir?" I still had hands on the man, but wanted clarification as to what was going on. Williams ignored my questions and again motioned for me to move the guy. I sighed loudly again and tossed the guy to the back of the plane.

"Who wants to try next?" He held that damn sidearm in the air like he was an old west cowboy, it took all my willpower not to reach for the 9mm I had strapped to my chest. My M4 had been put to the side once we got on board, but my own handgun was within range. With a smile as if he knew the battle I was having in my head, Williams pointed to the man in front of me, not dropping the goofy grin on his face. I pulled the guy to the hatch the same as I had the first. And again Williams pounced on the man. "Tell me about Bane, why does he wear the mask?" This man, same as the first said nothing, and didn't struggle. I could tell Williams was becoming more and more frustrated. This time he pressed the pistol against the hooded man's forehead. "A lot of loyalty for a hired gun." I could feel the spit flying from his mouth as he spoke disgustedly to the man.

"Or perhaps he's wondering why someone would shoot a man before throwing him out of a plan." The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end at the sound of the voice. It was the same voice that had whispered to me earlier, the man that was in the middle. Williams climbed off the man I had my hands on to get to the one that spoke, the one I couldn't take my eyes off of. When Williams moved I grabbed the guy tightly and pulled him out of the hatch, Harper closed it quickly behind us.

"At least you can talk. Who are you?" Agent Williams stood in front of the man, speaking slightly quieter now that sound of rushing air had stopped. I adjusted the cap I wore and placed my hand on my chest, that feeling in the pit of my stomach coming back with a vengeance and I refused to be unarmed when something happened. Harper eyed me and my stance, he didn't ask questions but I saw his hand go for his hip.

"It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan." That voice came again from beneath the hood. It chilled me, which not many things did. There was a hint of a European accent which was mixed with something, strong yet muffled. The muffling I blamed on the hood. Williams squatted in front of the man. His pistol was still in his hand, but honestly I doubted he knew how to really use it. He used his free hand to reach out and pull the hood off the man. "No one cared who I was until I put on the mask." As he pulled the hood off, the man spoke again, I could see a strap on the back of his head, part of a mask that covered his face. A mix of metal and leather, the reason his voice had that muffled yet amplified sound. Harper looked over at me.

"What the hell is that?" He said quietly. I lifted my eyes to the three young NCO's across the plane from me. While Harper and I could only see the man's back, I knew they saw the full mask. Dimmick's eyes were round as saucers, while Leslie had placed his hand protectively on his weapon. Allen looked like he was looking for a way off this plane.

"Guess that's what a Bane looks like." I said it with my jaw clenched, barely above a whisper. But as I spoke the man in the mask turned his head to look back at me. I expected him to have some kind of anger or hatred in his eyes, the look of a man that wanted to kill you. But instead he looked to be analyzing me. I didn't take my hand off my pistol, waiting for him to do something rash. He just locked eyes with me, eyes that looked ridiculously familiar.

"B…" Harper's voice had an edge to it, though it was hushed. I waved my hand at him to try to shut him up.

"If I pull that off will you die?" Williams spoke harshly to the man, causing him to whip his head around and I wouldn't have been surprised if he bit Williams' head off through that metal contraption on his face.

"It would be extremely painful," Was his response as if Williams' question was the stupidest thing he had ever been asked.

"You're a big guy." Williams countered, not being deterred by the sharp tongue, but I could make out the beads of sweat on his forehead. I doubted he had planned on actually capturing Bane.

"For you…" The masked man, Bane, was by far the biggest man on the plane right now. Harper was the second biggest, but I wasn't sure how that match up would go if weapons weren't a factor. I eyed the zip ties that bound his hands together. I was unsure of how well those would hold up against Bane's brute strength. His muscles stretched the fabric of his black t-shirt.

"Dalton…" Harper's tone was still hushed but I could hear the urgency in it.

"What?" I answered annoyed, but not taking my eyes off Bane. I felt his arm on my shoulder.

"B, seriously, look at me." Harper turned me so I was facing him.

"What the hell is your problem?" I watched as Harper's facial features changed. "What is it?" Harper was acting like a soldier that was wet behind the ears not a seasoned vet and it was quickly getting on my nerves.

"B, he looks like you…" I rolled my eyes at my right hand man and best friend, before turning my attention back to Williams and Bane. "It's the eyes man, exact same."

"Was getting caught part of your plan?" Williams was still eye to eye with Bane, his pistol was down by his side now.

"Of course!" Bane replied with a carefree tone. I had to snort at that. "I believe the young sergeant tried to warn you." Bane spoke after he heard my laugh. Williams glared at me with hatred he had been yet to show. I almost wished he would have fired his weapon at me, to give me and my men a chance to take Bane out and get home safely. If this was his plan, I didn't foresee it ending well. "Dr. Pavel refused our offer in favor of yours we had to find out what he told you." The doctor was sitting in a seat a few feet away from Bane and looked frantic that this man was in such close proximity.

"Nothing, I said nothing." He said each word quickly, clearly shaking and sweating. I sighed, this was not looking good for us.

"Well congratulations you got yourself caught." Williams spoke down to the large man. And suddenly the plane started to shake, similar to turbulence.

"Sir…" Allen's voice was wavering as he tried to get Williams' attention. I looked to him and he pointed to the window. When I looked out I saw nothing. Giving him a shrug, Allen just continued to point.

"Now what's the next part of your master plan?" That sarcasm was not necessary. I saw Bane's arms flex against the cuffs.

"Crashing this plane." The tone of his voice was worse than the usual. I was ready to pull the pistol from my chest right away. As soon as I thought about it, Bane was on his feet and the zip ties were popped. "With no survivors." He finished his voice gruff. Suddenly the sound of rounds started popping off as well as the sound of glass breaking. I saw Allen hit the deck, either out of necessity or from a direct hit I wasn't able to tell. Both Leslie and Dimmick had their pistols out and tried to return fire out of the windows. I saw Bane land a direct blow to Williams' face and then I went to work. I looked quickly at Harper and the two of us went for the two hooded men still left on the plane. We subdued them with a few punches; their arms were still secured behind them. I went to pull my pistol and take care of the pair when suddenly the plane lurched forward.

"Fuck!" I said as I couldn't help but topple backwards. Harper fell first, in direct line with the aisle and he fell the whole way down, as the aircraft was completely vertical. I hit a seat as I started my fall and out of instinct stuck an arm out to catch myself and swing between the two rows of seats, bracing myself with my legs to keep from toppling over the seats and down to the bottom where I figured everyone had ended up. From my spot I looked up, catching my breath, I both saw and felt Bane slam his large frame against one of the seats in the row that was anchoring me. His large combat boot came to rest on the seat next to me. I braced myself with my legs and pulled my right arm out to fire. It wouldn't kill him, but a shot to the leg could mame him. As I pulled the trigger there was a sudden explosion and I used all my strength to hold myself steady but the shot was off target. Bane didn't even seem to notice, all I could see were his legs.

Suddenly a single shot went off from a pistol and Bane's hulking form swung into the area I was held up in, his back slamming against me solidly, knocking the breath out of my lungs. I heard the automatic rifle fire pop off and knew for a fact that wasn't my guys firing. I said a silent prayer for the four of them that were no longer in my line of sight. As I was catching my breath and ending my prayer, I felt a death grip on my IOTV.

"Sergeant, so nice of you to join me." Bane had turned so he was now facing me. "I had hoped I'd have the pleasure." He reached behind him and grabbed something. I braced myself to be met with a bullet hole somewhere in my body. Instead, he quickly wrapped a line around me, securing a carabineer to my IOTV. "I kill you, or you come with me." He said it simply as if I had choices. As I eyed the man in front of me, he spoke again. "You come with me." And swiftly he punched me directly in the temple and all went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**The same blurb from the first installment applies here. Glad people are reading it. **

**And thank you givelove1morechance for the review. Hope the rest of this meets your expectations.**

Coming back from unconsciousness was a lot like surfacing from a near drowning experience. Having experienced both however didn't dull the pounding in my head when reality decided to check back in on me. The first thing I did was take a deep breath, pain hit me across my chest and in my shoulders, but it didn't feel like any ribs were cracked and both lungs were inflating properly. Getting old Brycen, I told myself, I didn't bounce back from a beating like I used to. Twenty seven wasn't old by society standards, but by SF standards I was a grandpa. I could breathe, that was a good starting point. I opened my eyes, but there was still nothing but darkness. I tried to reach for my face, but my arms were strapped firmly to my side. Testing my legs, I found they were similarly secured. I was laying down, that much I could gather. I wanted to laugh, but it would have been extremely inappropriate in this situation. I had just tried to do right by my squad and get us home early from the deployment. Afghanistan was sounding so much better right now.

And before I knew it my mind had shifted from my current situation to my squad. The four guys I last saw on that plane. Bane's voice came back to me "You die here, or you come with me". I wanted to believe he grabbed the rest of my team, but that didn't seem to be part of his plan. Harp's wife was going to kill me, hate me, slap me…all three probably. The Harper's just had their first kid, while we were in Afghanistan. Shana already hated me for keeping him away from that, like it was my call. I took the personal hits for the big Army, story of my life. Allen, Dimmick and Leslie, none of those guys were married yet, none had kids that they knew about. Three hot headed, warm blooded, American killers who were probably planning to spend their deployment money on booze, fast toys and impressing some local the moment we had boots on the ground in Washington. That's what I had done following my first deployment as a fresh faced Corporal. These guys probably wouldn't see that money. Their family would get a knock at the door, a flag and whatever benefits they had bestowed upon someone.

Snap out of it Dalton! I shook my head to clear the thoughts. Focus, need to figure out why the hell I wasn't left on that plane with the rest of them and how the hell to get out of this predicament. I still felt a lump in my throat, so I coughed quickly to clear it. In the silence, my cough was deafening.

"I didn't expect you to bounce back so quickly Sergeant." There was the muffled almost mechanical voice, followed by the hiss of his exhalation. Bane must have just entered the room, I hadn't heard his breathing. There was no way he could hide that sound. "I don't get a thank you for saving you from your eminent demise?" I still couldn't see the mass of muscle, but I could tell his voice was getting closer to me.

"Saving me? Kidnapping maybe. But I don't believe killing my squad warrants a thank you, sir." Sarcastic, yet still professional, it had always been my response to situations. My tone had been even, emotions got you nowhere in situations like this. I quickly felt a hand around my throat.

"Still have that quick tongue." He applied a little pressure, but it wasn't so much that I couldn't move air. "You would have rather died on that plane with your 'men'?" He said it as if he couldn't quite believe that would be my choice.

"My soldiers…" My voice caught on his tight grip, the air not moving as easily. I let out a gasp, but he still held tight to my neck. "Keeping them safe…" Another quick gasp allowed a little bit of air movement. "Was my mission…" I heard the deep rumble of laughter and he let go of my neck.

"Dr. Pavel was the mission Staff Sergeant…Brycen Dalton." He used my name and I didn't appreciate it. My name off of his tongue caused my hairs to stand on end.

"Negative sir, Dr. Pavel was Agent Williams's mission. My soldiers are always my mission." He didn't have a quick response to my statement. For a moment I didn't even know where he was standing, as I could no longer hear the hiss of his mask. Suddenly I felt the jerk of the mask covering my eyes being pulled off.

"You wish to die then?" Bane was staring down at me, I wanted to look around at my surroundings in the dimly lit room, but I couldn't look away from those eyes – my eyes staring back at me from that monster.

"I would have preferred to be given a chance to save my soldiers. But you took that opportunity from me. Had my life been needed to save them, then that's what I would have done. Death is no longer an option, sir." Bane broke the eye contact first and stepped away from the table I was strapped down to.

"You did manage to kill one of my men. Does that make you feel as if you made a difference?" He spoke with his back facing me.

"It didn't save any of mine." I said it bitterly.

"You were quick to wish death upon us on the ground." Bane came back to the table and stared down at me. I shrugged as best I could from my position.

"Had I killed you before we boarded the plane we wouldn't be here right now. I'd be headed home." He chuckled, but it could have been a cough in that mask.

"And where is home Brycen?" I didn't care for the wrinkle in his eyes, as if he were taunting me.

"Currently it's Fort Lewis, Washington. But in the Army it's wherever they send me." I glared at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this. Why did he care where home was? I felt my pulse quicken and my blood pressure raise, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to lower my vital signs. I was fighting against my emotions, those things that clouded your decision making skills.

"Self-control is an important skill to master. Not that your anger would get you out of this current predicament." He patted the strap around my midsection and the ones on my legs. "Someone of your level of training needs to be properly restrained. My men are replaceable, though I would prefer to keep the ones I have."

"A leader takes care of his men." I spat out at him, my anger getting the best of me. "He doesn't lead them like lambs to the slaughter, as if they're expendable." The massive hand he had resting on the strap across my chest moved so quickly to my neck I had zero time to react, no time to pull in a quick breath. Catching me mid-sentence my lungs were depleted and he pinched off all the air that was moving down my windpipe.

"You feel so highly of yourself, a part of an Army unit that so quickly replaces their men. This Army of yours has already replaced you and your squad. You are as you said being lead like a lamb to the slaughter. You and those men you let perish at my hand." He squeezed tighter, I could feel my chest bucking against the lack of oxygen. Spots formed before my eyes, my mouth opened to pull in air but was unable to. I wanted to pry his hand from my throat, but my hands were useless to me. "Think on that Sergeant." The spots grew bigger until again I was met with darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope everyone is enjoying reading this, as I enjoy writing it. Reviews are appreciated. Hope you enjoy the newest installment.**

Once again reality came at me like a brick wall. This time it brought with it blinding bright lights and pain in my neck that caused my throat to constrict, limiting the air I could pull in. I was in the same position I was in previously, only now the dim lights from previously had been replaced with fluorescent lighting that left no shadows in the room. The room was a sterile environment, even smelt clean. The whiteness and cleanliness of the area was magnified in the bright light. Being strapped to a table in the midst of a hospital like room was never a good thing.

"We meet again." The voice wasn't Bane's this time, but still familiar. I craned my neck to the side to see the owner. It was the bearded man, Barsad, standing in the doorway a smirk on his face. "Surprised?" He walked into the room and I noticed my IOTV on his chest.

"Glad someone's getting use out of my gear." I said as he walked around the table to stand, staring down at me.

"Very observant, unlike Agent…" He stopped mid-sentence and looked to the doorway. Bane entered the room, his arms bare, his muscles bulging. He glared across the room at Barsad, who quickly busied himself opening up a cabinet.

"Sergeant, good morning!" His voice was booming against the pain I was feeling in my head and neck, as well as my muscles which were all stiff from the lack of movement. He leaned over me, his eyes crinkling with a smile that was hidden by the mask. I was tired of seeing his face, tired of lying motionless on this table.

"Go to hell…" I muttered. Without a second thought about it, I managed to pull a few extra drops of saliva together in my mouth and let it fly. The majority of the spray caught the mask, but a few droplets hit his face, causing him to blink furiously. I was expecting to unleash his anger, I was bracing for a few blows, a choke out even. But he calmly wiped my spit from his face and looked back at me, the smile still evident in his eyes.

"An admirable attempt, but like you, I too have mastered self-control." He nodded in Barsad's direction and I looked over at the man standing to the side. He had pulled something from the cabinet, but I couldn't tell what it was. "Relax Sergeant, as I am most certain you have been trained to do." He placed his hand on my chest and applied pressure that caused me to gasp for a breath as the pressure built up in both of my lungs. Even with the discomfort in my chest I felt my arm being moved, not released but turned. I looked down to see Barsad eyeing the inside of my arm, the glint of a needle in his hand.

"What the…" I tried to turn my arm, to hide the vein that due to dehydration was very prominent. Bane increased the pressure on my chest and I felt my shoulders roll back to try to give myself more room for my lungs to expand.

"I ask the questions Sergeant Dalton, you are in no position to do so." Another nod to Barsad and I felt the needle slip into my skin. "No matter how much training you have had, breathing is still a necessity." He put what felt like all of his body weight into that single hand on my chest and I took a shaky and shallow breath. I felt something extremely warm spread up my arm, slowly the warmth increased and my entire right side felt like it was on fire. I took another ragged breath, his hand not allowing my chest to rise much at all. "No reaction, dully noted." He stared at me, looking for any kind of reaction. The burning sensation was slowly crossing over to my left side as well. Burning wasn't even the best way to describe it, it felt as if I had lit a match to myself. I could imagine flames licking at my skin. I heard a chuckle from deep in his chest.

"Find…this…funny?" His hand hindering both my steady breathing and my ability to speak.

"You do not disappoint Sergeant Dalton. Your Army has trained you well." He lifted his hand off my chest and I took a deep breath, but as the cooler air hit my lungs they began to spasm and I started to cough forcefully. The coughing wouldn't stop long enough for me to get a breath. Each time I would try to suck in a bit of air, the spasms would start again. My eyes flew to Bane, but he stood there, his arms across his chest. Coughing so forcefully, I felt my stomach start to wretch, and gagging took the place of the coughing. I was able to turn my head to the side as I vomited. There wasn't much more than bile that came out, I was unsure of how much time had passed since I last ate, at least 2 days maybe more. After that my lungs calmed enough for me to get a few good breaths in. "Nearly ten minutes without adequate oxygenation Sergeant, impressive." I slowed my breathing, inhaling slowly testing my lungs.

"What are you doing?" I didn't try to make eye contact with him, keeping the back of my head against the cool table. My skin was still very hot, but I could feel the metal of the table against my head, the back of my neck and arms and through the thin tan shirt I was still in. My Army issued pants were too thick for the cool metal to penetrate.

"Testing your capabilities." He said simply. "So far you have performed admirably. However that was just the beginning Brycen." Suddenly I felt a sense of panic rush over me, as it seemed everything started to slow down. My once even breathing grew shallower and shallower, and I could barely feel my heart beat.

"What…did…you…give…" Bane placed a hand over my mouth.

"You may want to save that energy dear Sergeant. The full capabilities of this drug are not yet known." I felt my eyelids getting heavy, but I used all my strength to keep them open. If the other side effects were short lived, this one should be as well. The lack of oxygen was causing my brain to grow hazy, and I felt numbness settling in my extremities due to the decreased blood flow.

"There is no capillary refill." I could barely hear Barsad's voice through the haze, but I knew that meant my fingers must be white, no blood in them at all.

"Sergeant Dalton." I hardly felt Bane's slap against my cheek, I looked at him through barely open eyes. "Amazing, simply amazing." I didn't feel amazing. I felt extremely sluggish, almost as if I was no longer in my body. My eyelids were so heavy and I could no longer feel my arms or legs. "Brycen, where were you born?" The question seemed out of place, I almost felt perhaps I had imagined Bane asking it. But then he had my chin cupped in his hand and turned my head so I was looking directly at him. "Where were you born?" He repeated himself, his words somehow making it through all the effects of this medication and hitting my brain.

"Goth…um…" My tongue felt like it had grown in size, my eyes rolled back in my head momentarily, but a few slaps to my cheeks brought me back. I felt so cold suddenly, cold and lethargic. My breathing hadn't increased, still extremely shallow and my heart beat still extremely slow.

"Your father?" Again somehow his words stuck out. I tried to glare and him, but heard his chuckle. "Not at all intimidating young man." I tried to turn my head, but he still had a grasp on my jaw.

"Don't…know…" I swallowed, my mouth growing super dry. I closed my eyes briefly, trying to force myself to take a deep breath, but it seemed my body's functions were out of my control. Another slap to my face. "Stop!" I attempted to sound angry, but I just sounded breathless.

"Your mother's name was Annetta Dalton?" His mention of my mom's name had me strain with what little bit of energy I had against my restraints. "I will take that as an answer." I felt even colder, unable to stop the shivering and my teeth chattering. "It should be over soon, son." The last word he spoke was lost in my shivering. I thought I had heard him correctly though and I eyed the monster of a man standing over me.

"No…" I said, Bane looked sternly at Barsad and turned quickly to leave. I wanted to blame what I had heard on the medication in my system, but I doubted I had misheard. Allowing my head to fall to the side I looked at Barsad, who shook his head.

"None of my business, but I do appreciate the vest." He patted his chest before attaching another vial to the needle in my arm. I shook my head, but that didn't stop him from pushing the liquid.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hope people are reading this, please review. I just would like to know if the story is worth continuing. Thanks those of you that are reading! I appreciate it!**

**If you know it, its unfortunately not mine.**

The new drug in my system quickly brought with it a normal breathing pattern and a heartbeat that got my blood flowing again. I took a moment to get my bearings, realizing that had everything slowed down much more I would have more than likely died. I flexed my fingers against the tingling that hit when a limb feel asleep. I also moved my feet, which is when I noticed I no longer had boots on. I wasn't sure when those had been lost. I looked at Barsad and tried to spy his feet.

"You take my boots too?" I sounded breathless and exhausted. Barsad laughed.

"I did, but they weren't my size." He patted my shoulder and stood by my shoulder. "Good job." I gave him a confused look.

"Good job?" I closed my eyes briefly and took another deep breath, still surprised and just how worn out I felt for not even getting off this table. Barsad slapped my face gingerly and I opened my eyes.

"Good job staying alive. He's used that drug on others, the results were never in their favor." I sighed. "Don't know how he would have taken it had you died." Barsad was staring hard at me. "I was right, you do look alike." I sighed.

"There's no way we're related. He's…whatever that is." I let my eyes close again and took a few deep breaths, starting to surprisingly feel extremely relaxed and calm regardless of my situation.

"Believe what you will, but the DNA test showed otherwise Staff Sergeant." Barsad slapped my face again. My eyes flew open and I glared at the bearded man beside me.

"Wish the both of you would stop slapping my fucking face!" The eruption of emotions probably had little to do with the slapping and more to do with my predicament and the news that was just dropped on me, either way my lack of control surprised me. Barsad looked at me for a moment before smiling.

"Not but so in control of those emotions now are you?" He eyed the needle in my arm. "Pretty sure you'll be wide awake in a few minutes." He attached a bag to the tubing coming out of my arm. Patting my shoulder he started for the door. "I'll be back shortly." As he left I heard the click of the lock on the door, which seemed odd to me. Why lock the door when I'm obviously not going anywhere? Perhaps to keep someone out? I sighed and let my eyes close, this time without interruption.

How do you get yourself in these situations, Dalton? I thought to myself as my breathing deepened and I felt myself start to doze off. I could hear gun fire and shouts, the smell of smoke filled my nostrils. Opening my eyes I was in an alley, from the green hue of everything it was night and I was seeing everything from behind a pair of NVG's. The movement of the soldiers in front of me reminded me of exactly what was going on. This was Iraq, four years ago, I watched the three soldiers in front of me moving tactically between the buildings, stopping at a doorway. The scene played out exactly as I remembered it. I was just an observer, when in reality I was on that team. We were to breech the building and take out the insurgents inside, five of them. But it wasn't how it played out. The replay from a bystander's point of view looked completely different. As the first team member started to kick the door in I saw the movement from down the alley. But the three of us at the doorway were oblivious to it. Team member one, Staff Sergeant Phillip Lambert, put his boot into the door just as the building exploded. I saw his body fly into the air first, the two of us followed. I remembered exactly how this played out and I screamed when I couldn't react as a bystander. I saw my younger self, the bright eyed Corporal, shake the cobwebs out and look across the rubble. I knew he didn't know it yet, but my femur had been broken as well as my wrist. He didn't have on NVG's, they were lost in the blast. Shit…I thought to myself, watching myself disoriented and suffering the repercussions from the blast, he was looking for the rest of his team. I knew the moment he set his sight on SSG Lambert. Stumbling over the terrain he made it to his team leader, sandwiched between the ground and a large slab of rubble. I saw my younger, smaller statured self, struggle to try to budge the slab. That slab easily weighed 400 pounds, I had been there, it was unmovable. I clenched my jaw and saw the SSG take his CPL's hand. I ground my teeth, not hearing the words but knowing exactly what was being said "Just let me go, kid. Get Bishop out of here. You can't move it."

I growled aloud and felt my muscles tense as the smoke cleared and the green hue of the NVG's faded out. I was breathing heavily as if I had just run a marathon, I was drenched in sweat. But as I relaxed I realized I was no longer strapped to the table. I raised my head off the surface and saw the straps laying on the floor, the leather shreaded.

"What the fuck?" I sat up slowly and realized my pants were fitting a bit tighter, my thigh muscles noticeably larger. Glancing down my arms, I saw the sleeves of my t-shirt were ripped, my biceps bulging and my tattooed shoulders all but screaming against the much tighter skin. I hadn't been a small statured person before, but I wasn't swollen. The added muscle was frightening, even if I wasn't as large as Bane, the change to my structure was definitely unwelcome. "What the hell did he pump me full of?" I looked at my hands, they too were slightly larger. "Oh hell no…" I saw Barsad's face in the window of the door. "I'm not some fucking guinea pig!" I clenched my fists and stood quickly. I may have put on more muscle mass and looked stronger, but two plus days of no food or water still took its toll and I suddenly felt very light headed. Sticking an arm out to steady myself I closed my eyes to regain my balance. That's when Barsad entered the room.

"It's a very low dose. This should be as big as you get." He spoke so calmly. Like I should just accept what just happened to me. I looked at him, still bracing myself against the table.

"I didn't want to get bigger. I was fine…fine…pretty sure Bane said amazing if I can recall the medically induced haze you put me into." I couldn't hold myself up any more and slid to the floor.

"He was commenting on your endurance and pain tolerance. Now you have the physical strength. Nothing on his level, but stronger than your average man. In essence, a super soldier." I rested my head in my hands.

"I should have been left on that plane." I mumbled the words into my palms, not meaning for Barsad to hear.

"You're Bane's, he wasn't going to leave you there to die. He may seem to not have feelings, but you are his blood." Barsad stood above me. I shook my head and looked up at him.

"He didn't know that then. No one did, what are the goddamn odds?" I punched the floor, and was surprised when the surface cracked beneath my knuckles.

"Parents have a sense about things like that." I laughed in response to his statement.

"Parents? That's not my parent." I said it with a shake of my head. "He's fucking crazy. All of you, fucking crazy…" I took a deep breath and got to my feet. Barsad made no attempt to help me, he just watched me, saying nothing. Looking him over quickly I realized he wasn't armed. "What if I just chose to walk out of here?" I said it calmly, when in all honesty I had no idea where here was, or how to get out, but if it came down to it I would make a way. Barsad's expression never changed.

"You wouldn't make it far." He stepped aside to allow me clear access to the doorway. "But you can give it a go." I thought he was referencing my weak state, so I shrugged him off quickly and took a few steps towards the doorway.

"Bane will probably try to come after me…" I said it slowly. This time Barsad laughed.

"Brycen," It was the first time he used my first name. "If you leave here, I give you about 12 hours before you're trying to find us." I gave him a confused look. "That drug, it wasn't a one-time injection. Your body now needs it to survive. If you thought those initial effects were bad, the one's that you will feel if you don't take it may truly kill you."


	5. Chapter 5

**I apologize for the delay in the next installment. It's warming up here, so work is picking up, meaning less downtime for writing and such. Hope you all enjoy the new bit.**

"Kill me? Like the initial dose killed all those people before me?" I eyed him. Barsad never moved, he knew his words had stopped me in my tracks.

"No, without the drug your heart will stop pumping. It doesn't matter how strong you look on the outside, how great a pain tolerance you have. You heart will cease to pump." I had my arms crossed over my chest, and as he spoke I felt the muscles tense.

"Where's Bane?" The gruffness in my voice told Barsad I wouldn't take a run around. He cleared his throat and motioned for the door.

"I'll take you to him." Stepping outside the door I was surprised by how damp it was. The musty smell crept into my nostrils, reminding me of stagnet water that pooled after a few days of rain in Afghanistan. Sewage…I heard the rushing water, we were in a sewer underground. I followed behind Barsad, my eyes adjusting fairly quickly to the darkness. Suddenly he slowed and held a hand up for me to stop. "Sir…" Barsad's voice held a somewhat timid tone to it, a tone I hadn't heard before. I couldn't see further into the tunnel, but it was safe to assume he was speaking to Bane. "Staff Sergeant Dalton is up and wishes to have a word." I didn't hear a response, but Barsad motioned for me to go forward. Stepping forward I was basked in the glow of a blue-ish light. I turned back to Barsad, but he had disappeared.

"How do you like my gift?" Bane had his back to me, he was shirtless and I could clearly see scar tissue running the length of his spine. The pale light also accented various other scars on his shoulders and arms that looked similar to fragment scars I had on my leg.

"Gift?" I scoffed at the thought of the Frankenstein like creature I felt I had become somehow being a kind gesture like a gift. "I don't want it. I never wanted it. I want to go back to my unit, go back to work." Get the hell away from all of these crazies, assemble a team and come and obliterate them. There was a lot a person could do with an M4 and a frag grenade, and wiping out this sewer sounded like a good use of those resources. Bane got to his feet and approached me, out of instinct my fists clenched and I felt my muscles tighten. He stopped right in front of me.

"I've heard children are sometimes unappreciative of their parents' best intentions." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"What were your intentions?" I heard the mocking tone in my voice and saw his glare settle on me while I spoke.

"You will work for me. The Army you once worked for believes you dead, now you will join me." I laughed, a deep laugh that caused me to start to cough. I looked up at him a smirk still on my face.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." I shook my head as I spoke. "There's no way. Just give me my 12 hours of life I have left before this drug kills me." Death had always been a possibility in my line of work and since dealing with Bane I had accepted this not ending well for me, the two or so days I had spent locked up down here were enough for me to truly embrace the option. Now I was down to that, and that was okay by me. Bane laughed, though the laughter didn't reach his eyes, I was still caught in his glare. "I didn't stutter. I'd rather die than deal with whatever this terrorist organization is you have going for you." He reached out and grabbed my shoulders, trying to pin my arms to my sides. I twisted quickly and freed one arm, but he had my left arm in a tight grasp.

"That choice isn't yours any more, son." I grunted at his use of that word. Turning back I threw a right at his face, but was quickly caught by his free hand. He squeezed it, and try as I could I couldn't pull the hand free. My left arm was still caught as well. As he squeezed my right fist he also twisted my left arm below the elbow. "I can do this all day." He mumbled at me. Gritting my teeth I didn't budge, still trying to free both my arm and hand. The more I fought it, the more pressure he put on me. I felt my elbow pop first, a white pain hit me behind my eyes briefly, but I blinked it away, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Break the body, break the man." He spoke in that mechanical tone.

"I could do this all day Bane." I refused to use a parental title for him. He growled and let go of my left arm and turned his attention to my right fist. My left arm hung awkwardly from the elbow joint. The pressure on my fist increased and I was surprised all the bones hadn't been crushed yet. I took a deep breath and kept my glare on him. He twisted quickly and not only did I feel my hand crush, but somehow I ended up flat on my stomach on the floor of that sewer. Rolling to the left, I barely missed his foot as it came down where my head was. "Shit…" I moaned and scrambled as best I could to my feet without a working hand to steady myself with. He was on me extremely quickly for his large size.

"Not so fast little one." He swiftly pulled my legs out from under me and I was on my back, feeling as if I had never fought a day in my life. My head cracked against the floor as I was crashing down. Shaking the cobwebs out, I refused to pass out again. Not an option Dalton, I told myself, you're getting the hell out of here, even if it's only for the few hours of life you have left. I pushed myself up on my right elbow, Bane's combat boot kicked it and my face hit the floor. I could taste blood from a busted lip. What the hell was this guy's deal? He wouldn't let me go and die from the lack of this genetics enhancing drug, but he would beat the shit out of me.

"I'm not your damn punching bag!" I said pulling my head up off the cold slimy floor. With that outburst his fist found my jaw and I saw the blood spurt out of my mouth as he made contact. I spit the blood that pooled in my mouth out and pushed myself up against a wall and managed to get my feet under me without Bane kicking them out from under me. When I got fully on my feet I realized that even with the best intentions I was still weak. I didn't know what I was going to do, my left arm was worthless, I was unable to even keep it guarded to my body due to the dislocation of my elbow. The swelling in my right fist was already visible. "This is what you do to people that tell you no?" I eyed Bane, who stood there watching me. I was probably a sight, barefoot, too tight combat pants, a t-shirt that was shredded, my left arm hanging awkwardly, my big fat fist held up like it was going to do something, and blood coming from my mouth, oh yea this is the SSG Dalton that struck fear into the hearts of terrorists throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. Getting my ass kicked by my father. I watched as he shook his head and started to close the already small distance between us.

"No is not an answer I'm fond of Brycen." I slowed my breathing and stepped away from the wall, memories of him choking me out was all I kept picturing, not something I wanted to experience again if I had any say in it. Moving to my right I realized that we were in an office/bedroom. I saw the cot in the corner and the desk. Shit this was his space, and Bane definitely struck me as the territorial type. Weapons…glancing around I saw nothing aside from his desk chair and without a good working hand all I could do would be kick it over in his path and make a run for it. That's what all my training had come down to, kicking over a chair. Bane was laughing as he followed me, staying close, but giving me space to move. The sound of the rushing water was getting louder, or perhaps it was blood rushing to my brain. "You're not looking well son."

"Stop calling me that, I'm not…I'm not anything to you…" I didn't stop moving, my eyes on the exit I had come through with Barsad. Of course I would have ended up on the complete opposite side of the room after tussling with him.

"A week of no food and no water will take its toll on a man." A week? I narrowed my eyes at him. "Even one in your physical condition." I shook my head, that rushing sound still continuing to increase in my ears. "I could keep you here and starve you." I sighed and shrugged.

"The drug will be out of my system and killing me before starvation does." He didn't respond right away.

"We should care for that elbow." He looked at my flopping left arm. Had it been my shoulder I would have tried to reset it myself, but an elbow was a bit more difficult. I laughed bitterly.

"We should just let me go and die, I'm sure I'm down to about 10 hours and I sure as hell do not want another dose of that shit. Too much and I'll turn out like you." I turned right and started to sprint to the doorway. A few feet more and that rushing sound in my ears turned on full force escalating to a popping sound and suddenly all sounds were muffled. I was almost out, the doorway looked darker than I remembered, but then again I was underground. The darkness started on the edge of my line of sight. Taking a few breaths I kept going forward, feeling like I was moving in slow motion. It's okay for the edges to blur, I thought about dive training, as long as the whole world doesn't go dark you'll be alright Dalton.


	6. Chapter 6

**Next chapter- Tried to incorporate more of the movie, scenes have been altered ever so slightly. I may have tried to put a bit too much into this chapter, but I hope not. Enjoy.**

"And if I were to let you 'go and die', do you think I would be able to recruit Cheslie for my cause?" My sprint was cut short, the doorway but a foot away. I hadn't considered Bane the blackmail type, but suddenly that was added to his arsenal. I could hear him chuckling loudly above the deafening sound of blood rushing to my head. "That is all it takes?" His quizzical tone was proof of how surprised he was. "Ready to die, but not ready to let me have the woman." The woman was someone I had met during a mandatory Army sanctioned three week training course that bored me to tears. I was younger then, brainwashed into the SF way of thinking and not too keen on women in the military at that time. It's not a surprise that we didn't instantly hit it off. She was fiery and an engineer, having her own combat experience, and not at all what I expected when I was so anti-women in the military. We had been together for four years, neither of us mentioning marriage, but it stayed on the back burner of our minds. After my time in Afghanistan I had actually been considering popping the question when all was said and done. However since Bane entered my life I had managed to push her out of my mind and try to focus on survival, not even giving her a thought when I told him to let me die. I felt defeated that I hadn't considered what she was going through right now. As quickly as I had that thought I imagined that gorgeous brunette glaring at me 'Stop looking at me like that Bry! You've got a job to do, and I've got a job to do.' Chelsie had deployed two months before me, those were some of the last words we had face to face. That girl was strong as nails.

I felt someone grab my wrists, pulling both arms back, my elbow screaming and my fist throbbing. Lost in thought I hadn't heard Bane come up behind me, one of his hands held both of mine. He wrapped his free arm around my neck.

"Persuasion is a very powerful tool, son. And love, well that is an emotion for the weak." He must have lowered his face, I could feel the hiss from his mask against my ear. "I had never thought you as a weak man." He took me out at the knees and I dropped to the ground. He was holding me up as both of my knees slammed against the concrete. "But I have been wrong before." In the brief movement, his grip never lessened on me. I tried to catch a glimpse of him, but he positioned himself behind me the whole time. "Again Brycen, I would like you to come work for me. Your skillset will be an asset to our cause, and you are family." I attempted to shake my head, but the motion was limited with his tree limb of an arm around my neck. "I don't believe that was an answer." I tried to speak, but he tightened that arm around my neck.

"Nnnn…" Was all I could manage to gargle. I could taste the blood pooling in my mouth, but I didn't even have the air movement to spit it out. I felt it running down the front of my mouth.

"I still cannot hear you Brycen." Again the edges of reality were getting hazy. I quickly tried to wrap my brain around something to try to keep myself conscious, my knees. Bane was putting more weight on me now, and my knees were bearing the weight, already missing almost all the cartilage in both of them they were screaming. Suddenly I heard a couple thumps and the sound of something being dropped behind me. "This is not over son." Bane spoke sternly as I felt a zip tie tighten around my wrists and then he shoved me forward, without hands to catch myself, my face again smacked the concrete floor. I saw stars when my nose took the force of the hit and lay there trying to regain my bearings. "Why are you here?" It was Bane's voice, but he wasn't speaking to me. The sound of a blow followed by a grunt was the next thing I heard.

"Answer him!" Came a new voice I had never heard. Slowly opening my eyes I tried to rotate myself so I could see what was going on. I came face to face with Bane when I turned, he was still squatting on the ground, glaring at me.

"I was asking you." He spoke to the thug, not taking his eyes off of me. I cleared my throat, swallowing some of the blood that was escaping my nose. Bane shook his head at me.

"It's the police commissioner." The thug spoke again, I turned my attention to him. Neither of the two looked very intimidating yet they were both armed. That's when I saw Barsad and another man in an IOTV standing behind them, watching the whole exchange, both of them armed as well. Bane slowly got to his feet, reaching out and shoving me back, putting my dislocated arm at an extremely painful angle I wasn't able to get out of. I couldn't help the groan that escaped my mouth.

"And you brought him down here?" Bane paid me no more attention and moved over to the pair. I lifted my head to watch him.

"We didn't know what to do, we just thought…" The one guy that had done all of the talking realized he was in trouble and I could see the panic in his eyes, Bane didn't strike me as the kind of man you could easily backtrack with.

"You panicked and your weaknesses cost the lives of three others." Bane sounded so calm, but when you far exceeded the person you were speaking with in both intelligence and strength it was easy to keep your bearings. He was standing extremely close to the both of them. I didn't see this ending well for either of the thugs. They had all taken their attention off the heap of person lying in front of them.

"No he's alone…" The thug was confused. Confusion and panic were a lethal combination. Bane took no time grabbing the man's throat. I cringed as I thought about the feeling, but that's when I heard the crunch and crack of his neck and windpipe. Bane all but threw the man to the side.

"Search him, then I will kill you." He spoke pointedly to the second thug. I slowed my breathing down and looked around once more, everyone was focused on this thug. Holding my breath in preparation for the pain I rolled myself quickly to get off of that elbow. Now lying face down, I pulled my knees to my chest and somehow I was able to stand, a little shakily, but stand without the assistance of my hands. I gave the credit to straight adrenaline and maybe a little credit to the juice they pumped me full of. "Not so fast Sergeant, we're just getting started." I felt the cold metal of the barrel of a gun against my back, and heard the hiss of Bane's mask. I wasn't sure where the gun had come from, but I liked how he positioned the pistol so even if I provoked him to shoot me it wouldn't be a kill shot, just one that maimed.

"Leave her alone and just let me go. Shoot me if you have to, want to, whatever. I'm not lending my assistance to what you have going on here." My voice sounded extremely shaky and barely above a whisper, I was reaching fatigue and a level of hunger I hadn't dealt with in a while and the statement I made showed that. You never beg, that's a sign of weakness, yet here I was doing just that. Suddenly I heard a splash and Bane turned his attention away from me, but I felt a hand on my shoulder that turned me around. Barsad had stepped beside me. I heard a barrage of automatic weapons firing over the railing into the water and noticed the man that had been on the ground was no longer there. He had gotten out, though with the amount of lead thrown after him he may have escaped in the form of Swiss cheese.

"He's dead." The remaining thug turned around to face Bane, his voice shaky. Bane held a pistol in his hand. He must have gotten it off of the police commissioner.

"So show me his body." Bane also had paperwork of some kind in his hand and he shoved the folded paperwork into my mouth, which I quickly spit out onto the floor, resulting in a back hand to the side of my face, causing pain to flare up from my nose that was quickly swelling and hindering my vision slightly.

"The water runs to any one of the outflows, we'll never find him." The thug looked confused. Bane wiped my blood off of his hand and reached for something from Barsad, it looked like a GPS system of some kind. He then slipped it into the thug's jacket.

"Follow him."

"Follow him?" The thug looked even more confused. Even as battered and bruised as I was I knew what came next. A single shot rang out and he fell into the rushing water that I hadn't even paid attention to before. Damn Dalton, you're really losing it, I told myself. I could have jumped over that rail from the beginning and been long gone. Not that I was particular to the water or swimming, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"It's too late for you to choose door number 1, Sarge." Barsad had followed my gaze.

"I don't like to swim anyways." I said bitterly as Bane stalked back over to where I stood. I just glared at him. I didn't have many other options at this point.

"Pick it up." He pointed to the papers I had spit out on the floor, they were red with my blood. I grunted and looked from him to the papers and back at him, then shook my head. "I won't repeat myself Brycen." The tone of his voice had changed. It was no longer the calm, strong tone he had used with those street thugs. This tone had much more force behind it, an edge to it, almost like one of frustration. I smirked, I was actually getting under his skin. He nodded at Barsad and suddenly I took the butt stock of his rifle to the back of my head, dropping me to the floor, again without hands to catch myself. My already broken nose and right cheek took the force, causing bright red blood to spurt from my nose again. Bane rested his boot on the side of my head, smashing my face further into the floor. Black spots popped up in my eyes as the pain intensified from my nose. "What did I say?" I didn't respond, not sure what he was going to do right now. He was breathing heavier, the hissing from the mask coming more often. I felt myself chuckling before I realized I was even doing it. I had closed my eyes, his boot still on my head, my chest heaving with each bit of laughter. He put a tight grip on my dislocated elbow and even with tears in my eyes I was laughing. Seriously, I told myself, you have lost it. With all I was going through with this guy, the fact that my strong desire to defy him was affecting him so much was funny for what it was worth. "We will see how funny you find it in 10 hours when you're begging for relief." Bane growled, letting go of my arm and removing his boot from my head. A silent command to Barsad and the other outfitted guy and they had me on my feet. Well, they had me up holding my weight, finally the exhaustion and lack of nourishment had caught up to me, perhaps mixed with the blood loss and I couldn't even hold up my own weight. "I will be seeing you soon, and we shall see what your answer is then."


	7. Chapter 7

**FINALLY an update, though a bit short. When the weather warms up, life gets a bit busier. Hope to have more soon, enjoy.**

"He's quite a sight…" The voice that broke through the darkness of my sleep was new, female and soft. I had to take a moment to remember where I was and what had happened. "He favors his father, Bane." The voice was accented, but I could still hear the teasing tone. "Perhaps it's his stubbornness." There was a chuckle. I felt something cool against my face, then sudden contact on my injured nose caused my eyes to fly open and I sat up quickly. "And the eyes are definitely yours my friend." Taking a quick look around the room I saw Bane was standing a few feet away, and a brown haired woman was sitting next to me an ice pack in her hand and a slight smile on her face. "It's alright. I'm just patching you up." That soft voice and the caring look on her face made her the polar opposite of the mass of pain and suffering that was towering over us. However the fact that they knew each other was enough for me not to fall completely for her kindness. "Bane asked me to help patch you up. You've been through quite a tussle Sergeant Dalton. But from what I've been told you did well to hold your own against your old man." Her accent was almost British and the laughter in her voice almost lyrical. It didn't appear that she was here against her will, which made me wonder why someone would willing work side by side with Bane. "Please stop looking at me like that. I'm only here to lend a hand. Believe me, this man," She pointed a thumb in Bane's direction. "He does the hard work." Bane was still yet to speak, his eyes settled on me. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. That's when I realized there was an oxygen mask on my face, but the air I was breathing in had a sweet scent to it. I tried to reach for it, but my arms only had so much motion. Taking a look I saw restraints on my wrists.

"What the fuck?" At my outburst Bane took a step in my direction, anger flashing in his eyes. She placed a hand on his thigh to stop him. Surprisingly he halted, but he continued to glare at me.

"That language is not acceptable around Tala." He growled. I took it then that Tala was her name, but I didn't ask to clarify. Tala gave me a small smile.

"Bane is very protective of me, an older brother if you will." I wasn't impressed with the small talk, instead I pulled again at the restraints trying to get this mask off that was pushing some form of gas. She placed a hand on my arm, my left elbow actually and I felt no pain. "The gas coming from the mask kills some of the pain." I attempted to snort, but stopped as the pain in my nose and cheek flared up. "Not all of it unfortunately."

"And the restraints?" I noticed them also against my bare ankles. I also noticed my lack of clothing, minus my boxer briefs. "And my clothes?"

"The restraints were necessary to administer the medication. Your clothing was a mess. I had to do a head to toe assessment of your injuries." She spoke simply, not breaking her gaze.

"Medication?" I took note of the needle in my arm. "How long was I out?"

"72 hours." Bane spoke as Tala started to open her mouth. I could tell he was smirking behind that mask.

"Son of a bitch!" I pulled against the restraints and I could feel them cutting into my flesh. Tala placed a hand on my arm in an attempt to calm me. "I was supposed to fucking die! No more drugs!" Bane glared down at me lying there in that bed.

"You die when I deem it necessary son. And again you will be warned about your language." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Bastard." I spat out from behind the oxygen mask. He grunted and reached for my face. I expected a slap or a punch. Instead he pulled the mask off of my face and stood there, eyes trained on me. I took a few slow breaths of sewer air, Bane's eyes never left me. "What?" I glared, or tried to. Pain began to radiate across my face, causing an instant migraine. On top of that it felt like I had literally been run over by a mac truck, every joint hurt. My elbow and hand that felt 100% just moments earlier now sent stabbing pain shooting up both arms.

"Death can come to you if you still wish." He pulled a paper from his pocket and held it in front of my face. It was a photo, printed on computer paper.

"Chelsie…" It was her most recent photo from her Facebook page, the two of us on a snowboarding trip right before we deployed.

"The choice is yours Brycen, but chose wisely." I felt tears prick my eyes from the pain that by this point seemed to be radiating everywhere. I must have been on my last leg dealing with Bane earlier because none of his blows had felt this rough when I received them. He grabbed my elbow and applied what felt like a ton of pressure. I bucked against the table I was lying on, almost forgetting to breath. "One can find out so much about a person via social networking. Chelsie is travelling east in a few days to visit family in New Jersey. I could detour her." I shook my head. "She's a strong woman, I'm sure she would take well to the medication." The thought of him laying a hand on her disgusted me.

"No! No..." I couldn't believe I was crumbling. Bane shook with laughter.

"So you will stay with us then, Brycen." Tala's voice reminded me she had been in the room. The curt tone replaced what had been kind and compassionate. I heard the tap of her heels on the floor, turning I saw her looking at my neck. "If you're staying we're going to need a port." She looked up at Bane, who gave her a nod. "A little more sleep won't hurt you, when you wake up you'll feel much better about the situation." I watched as she pushed some liquid into the IV that was in my arm. It was cold. "Welcome to our little family Sergeant." Tala's smile was the last thing I could see clearly before everything began to blur.


	8. Chapter 8

**Update time! Enjoy.**

Waking up this time came under my own terms. Stretching slightly I realized I wasn't feeling any pain, but I did feel some tightness in my neck. I reached out to touch the side of my neck and noticed my hands were free. I also had on clothing, a grey t-shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts. Touching my neck gingerly I felt a lump just below the skin. I was shocked at the skin that overlapped what had to be the port Talia had mentioned. She may have knocked me out, but she didn't knock me out long enough for a port to be inserted and for it to heal like it had. Rubbing my eyes I looked around, I recognized the room I was in, the desk across from me and the cot I was laying on. I was in Bane's room, this time I could clearly hear the rushing water running below me. Sitting up and placing my feet on the floor I waited for some verbal reprimand, but received none. Glancing around once more I was certain I was alone. I stood, looking at my solid legs and up to the gigantic arms I couldn't believe were mine. Shaking my head I walked over to the railing and looked down at the rushing water. I shivered as the spray from the water hit me. I stepped up onto the rail and again looked down at the rushing water.

"That probably wouldn't be the smartest decision you ever made, Brycen." Talia's voice pulled me from my potential escape plans. "You have approximately two hours until it is time for your medication." She ran a hand over the lump on the right side of my neck, I shivered under the touch of her fingers. Her hand moved from my neck to my shoulder and down my back. "Bane says you have no desire to get any bigger." Her fingers seemed to touch every muscle in my back. "Mass can be very intimidating." I set my jaw as I felt her hand stop right above my ass. I turned quickly, my back hit against the rail and for a second I thought I was going to topple over.

"What are you doing?" I said, thankful that my voice sounded normal again, strength had returned to it. Talia gave me a smirk and her eyes narrowed.

"There's no doubt you are Bane's son, I could have told him that without a DNA test. You look so alike, yet so different." She moved closer to me and with my back against the railing didn't give me any means of egress. "Bane is so pale, yet you have such color." She reached out to touch my arm, which I pulled back as I slid to the side, giving myself some breathing room. "And so many tattoos." I really didn't like the way she was looking at me, almost animalistic.

"What can I say, I like tattoos…" I cleared my throat and looked around, hoping that someone would walk in. At this point I'd even settle for Bane as an interruption to whatever sick twisted game Talia was playing.

"I think I may be starting to like them as well." She started towards me, but I turned on my heel and went for the exit. I didn't know where I was going, but I wasn't staying in that situation. I took a deep breath and thought about Chelsie, trying to calm myself down. Unfortunately there were some things that I couldn't keep from happening and the bulge in my shorts was proof of that. But I could keep it from going any further. Beginning a slight jog I cut into the doorway Barsad had brought me through the first time I had been in here, I didn't look back but I was sure Talia was either following me or alerting Bane I was on the move. Either way, I didn't want to be left with that hormonally charged woman. The hallway was dark, but my eyes adjusted fairly quickly. I could hear the sound of power tools and hammering and soon there was light in the tunnel. It opened up and there were men everywhere, hanging from harnesses and working, some sitting on the ground resting. I couldn't make out what they were doing exactly, but there standing amongst them keeping an eye on all the workers was the guy that had helped Barsad drag me away he wasn't wearing his armor, but he was clutching his rifle and his eyes settled right on me.

"Does he know you're out here?" He glared at me and then down at my bare feet. "I'm guessing that's a no kid." He rolled his eyes and sighed as if he were speaking to a young child. "Come on Sarge, let's get you back where you're supposed to be." With a nod of his head to another armed man he poked me with the barrel of his rifle. "Come on, back you go." Taking one last look around I started back down the hallway towards Bane's 'room'.


End file.
